[pct-l] Re: Four are dead and two missin

[Lonetrail at aol.com (Lonetrail@aol.com)]

Hi
This article appeared in the LATimes today. I have hiked with Charlie in the 
middle of Dec. Ron and I did sections of the PC togehter. Its tought

lonetrail

By Lance Pugmire and Janet Wilson
> 
> Times Staff Writers
> 
> January 22, 2004
> 
> With four Southland hikers dead since New Year's Day and two more missing, 
> authorities on Wednesday closed a popular Mt. San Gorgonio trail and issued 
> strong warnings to those who choose to hike the region's rugged mountains in 
> treacherous conditions.
> 
> "Warning, Extreme Icy Conditions ? Do Not Hike Alone," stated fliers handed 
> out with hiking permits in the San Gorgonio district of the San Bernardino 
> National Forest beginning Wednesday. U.S. Forest Service personnel were 
> preparing similar advisories to be given to hikers who buy parking and hiking 
> permits in the San Bernardino, Cleveland, Angeles and Los Padres national forests.
> 
> "It's just a sheet of ice up there," said John Amrhein, emergency services 
> coordinator for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. "They're going 
> to slip and fall thousands of feet, like these other hikers, if they're not 
> properly prepared. Basically, now would be a nice time to go to the beach." 
> 
> Amrhein spoke at the command post at the closed Vivian Creek hiking 
> trailhead, where weary search-and-rescue teams fanned out on a foot of fresh snow 
> atop sheer ice, looking for Eugene Kumm, 25, of Seal Beach, missing since he set 
> out alone for San Gorgonio peak Saturday. He had taken ice climbing 
> equipment he'd been given for Christmas, but had never used it before, authorities 
> said.
> 
> Heavy cloud cover at higher elevations meant helicopters had to transport 
> rescuers to narrow ravines. The fresh snow overnight could have covered any 
> tracks or other signs of a campsite, but "if he's still moving, we'd be able to 
> see his footprints clearly," Amrhein said.
> 
> By late afternoon, with the sun sinking, the search was suspended for 
> another long, cold night.
> 
> Amrhein said searchers had seen "not a thing, not a thing." 
> 
> To the west, along the Pacific Crest Trail, a second team was searching for 
> Ronald Barbour, 69, of La Crescenta, who set out on a combined bike ride and 
> hike Sunday. Searchers planned to be back out this morning looking for both 
> men.
> 
> It has been a grim winter for search-and-rescue teams. Four hikers have been 
> found dead in three weeks, none of them novices. Chung Hun "Charles" Koh, 
> 53, of Buena Park left home New Year's Day to hike on Mt. Baldy. His body was 
> found Saturday, nearly 1,000 feet below a spot where a partner thought he had 
> fallen.
> 
> Ali Aminian, 51, of Newbury Park was an experienced Sierra Club member who 
> went hiking alone in the same area Jan. 11, while Koh was still missing. 
> Aminian's body was found Jan. 14. 
> 
> Matthew L. Jones, 15, of San Bernardino tumbled about 400 feet to his death 
> from a steep, burned slope near Devore on Jan. 11.
> 
> Kenneth Smith, 66, of Yucaipa died Jan. 5 while ice climbing in the Forest 
> Falls area, not far from where Barbour is missing now.
> 
> Even experienced hikers should understand that winter ice hiking requires 
> Alpine mountaineering equipment and skills, authorities said. 
> 
> Treacherous ice is the common denominator in three of the four deaths, and 
> the disappearances of Kumm and Barbour, said Sgt. Cliff Weston, the San 
> Bernardino County sheriff's search-and-rescue coordinator. Ice covers trails and 
> slopes frequented by hikers, he said.
> 
> "Especially on the north-facing slopes, it has remained extremely cold up 
> there," he said. The high-pressure, bright, sunny weather system in recent 
> weeks has created icy conditions with no snow covering it."
> 
> That fair weather in the valleys has fooled too many hikers, Weston said.
> 
> "Usually, at this time of year, snowfall would keep people out," Weston 
> said. "Sunshine lulls people into a false sense of security. It may be in the 60s 
> and 70s in the valleys, but it's not warm in the mountains. On the 
> mountaintop, the ice continues to stay, and if hikers continue going up there, we're 
> going to continue to have problems."
> 
> The icy conditions are the third deadly threat in the mountains, which were 
> ravaged first by fires, then flash floods late last year. The Old fire, which 
> started in San Bernardino, and the deadly flood that ravaged a campground in 
> Devore were blamed for establishing the brittle ground that gave way when 
> Jones fell to his death.
> 
> "The vegetation is not strong in burned areas; more rocks are falling than 
> ever before in those areas. There's a clear message being sent to those who go 
> into the burn areas to be aware of your footing," said Ruth Wenstrom, a U.S. 
> Forest Service spokeswoman.
> 
> San Bernardino County authorities have rescued at least six other hikers 
> since Jan. 1. Rescuers typically are called out about 90 times a year, but 
> rarely in such close succession. 
> 
> Both Mt. Baldy and Mt. San Gorgonio are popular peaks year-round with 
> Southland hikers, and receive snowfall above roughly 7,000 feet in winter. Access 
> to San Gorgonio is regularly limited by use of hiking permits, with 25 to 30 
> people a day allowed in the area at a time. The Vivian Creek trail is an 
> artery used by hikers to reach the peak. It was closed Wednesday both because of 
> hazardous conditions and because rescuers did not want hikers disturbing any 
> footprints or other clues that might have been left by Kumm.
> 
> Authorities urged all hikers to travel with a companion, tell a friend or 
> family member of their exact hiking path, stick to it if at all possible, know 
> the weather forecast, dress warmly and understand that there are many 
> mountainous pockets where cellphones don't work. Hikers going above the snow line 
> should carry ice axes and boot spikes and know how to use them.
> 
> While searchers said three of the men who died were experienced hikers, Kumm 
> is better described as an outdoors enthusiast, said Cpl. Darren Goodman of 
> the sheriff's search-and-rescue team.
> 
> "He was alone and had no map?. He didn't know the area, and he was in ice 
> with [boot spikes] he just got at Christmas," Goodman said. "Everything he has 
> done indicates he was not an experienced hiker. You don't hike alone. That's 
> suicide."
> 
> Dan Hendley, a colleague of Kumm's at Kiewit Industries in Long Beach, said 
> he was surprised to learn that his friend had taken on the 11,500-foot-high 
> mountain by himself.
> 
> "He usually goes with his girlfriend or a buddy," said Hendley, who lives 
> across the street from Kumm. "He's a pretty smart dude and a great physical man 
> at 6-2, 240 pounds. But I'm worried about him."
> 
> Hendley described his friend as always well-prepared for a hike. He said 
> Kumm had hiked to 6,500 feet a week earlier with his girlfriend. And he said he 
> doesn't have any doubt that his friend is still alive.
> 
> "I'm assuming, with all the snow, he just got turned around," Henley said. 
> "If he's not hurt, he's on the move somewhere. He's a pretty strong-willed 
> guy."
> 
> *
> 
>